- published: 23 Jan 2010
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Medgar Wiley Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963) was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi. He became active in the civil rights movement after returning from overseas service in World War II and completing secondary education; he became a field secretary for the NAACP.
Evers was assassinated by Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizens' Council. As a veteran, Evers was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His murder and the resulting trials inspired civil rights protests, as well as numerous works of art, music, and film.
Medgar Evers was born July 2, 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi, the son of Jesse and her husband, James Evers; they owned a small farm and he also worked at a sawmill. Evers was the third of five children, after Charles and Elizabeth. His sister Ruth was the youngest. The family also included Eva Lee and Gene, Jesse’s children from a prior marriage. After the lynchings of family friends, Evers became determined to get an education. He walked 12 miles to and from school to earn his high school diploma.
Actors: Martin Luther King (actor), Mark Leggett (composer), Bill Brummel (producer), Bill Brummel (writer), Jeffrey L. Weaver (producer), Myrlie Evers (actress), Martin Kent (director), Martin Kent (producer), Martin Kent (writer), Medgar Evers (actor), Mamie Till (actress), Emmett Till (actor), Mose Wright (actor),
Genres: Documentary,Actors: Michael O'Keefe (actor), Jerry Hardin (actor), William H. Macy (actor), Craig T. Nelson (actor), John F. Kennedy (actor), Martin Luther King (actor), Joe Louis (actor), Thomas Kopache (actor), Rex Linn (actor), Alec Baldwin (actor), Spencer Garrett (actor), Rance Howard (actor), Bill Cobbs (actor), Brock Peters (actor), Terry O'Quinn (actor),
Plot: Ghosts of Mississippi is a drama covering the final trial of Byron De La Beckwith (Woods), the assassin of the 1960s civil rights leader Medgar Evers. It begins with the murder and the events surrounding the two initial trials which both ended in hung juries. The movie then covers District Attorney, Bobby De Laughter's (Baldwin) transformation and alliance with Myrlie Evers (Goldberg), the widow of Medgar Evers, as he becomes more involved with bringing Beckwith to trial for the third time 30 years later. Some of the characters are played by the actual participants in this story.
Keywords: 1960s, activist, african-american, assassin, assassination, based-on-true-story, bigot, children, civil-rights, civil-rights-movement